Editorial: Congress rated lower than cockroaches

The latest favorability rating of our Congress is a joke. Itís a cascade of can-you-top-this jokes that reinforces its low esteem but doesnít point a way toward restoring its effectiveness, let alone higher approval.

Conducted by Public Policy Polling, the survey found Congress less popular than cockroaches, colonoscopies, traffic jams, used car salesmen, Brussels sprouts, root canals, head lice and NFL replacement referees.

On the other hand, it had a higher approval rating than telemarketers, North Korea, the Ebola virus, playground bullies, meth labs, gonorrhea and both Lindsay Lohan and the Kardashians.

Women viewed Congress a little more favorably than men, 13 percent to 6 percent. Democrats viewed it more favorably than Republicans, 13 percent to 9 percent.

Those numbers convey some meaning. But whatís with the jokes? What does it mean if we have a higher opinion of cockroaches than Congress? Is that an indication that few of us have had direct experience with the insects? Ask the same question about the Congress-colonoscopy contrast. For all the unpleasantness, colonoscopies have a reasonably certain therapeutic effect. Something bad was found, or it wasnít. Congress had a chance to do something good or bad and it did or didnít.

The poll was conducted by an automated telephone interview, and we suspect it had respondents chuckling throughout.

Although it seems to us many respondents would hang up on such a poll, the organization assigned a 3.4 percent margin of error.

If so many of us in all political persuasions have such a low regard for the people who make our laws, why arenít the lawmakers paying attention?

Perhaps because thereís a huge disconnect: We want the men and women in both parties in both houses to come together in a spirit of compromise, but only if our side ends up with most of the marbles.

A more constructive poll would ask Americans how much theyíre willing to concede to reach a compromise, or even a grand bargain, one with entitlements and tax reform included.

Real leadership by our elected officials would compromise the core beliefs on both sides of the issues.

Thatís what the low approval rating is telling our leaders. They should listen for a change.